Blood-Stained Messages
by DrizzleRizz
Summary: Riku Schuyler has problems. He thought that his life would play out like a normal, high school unrequited love story, but will it really be just that when an extreme event right outside of Axel's house changes their daily lives? AU Riku x Kairi kinda OOC NOTE: (Possibly) harsh language and very descriptive descriptions of violence. Orig. Title: Good-bye, My Long Lost Self
1. Chapter I - Seriousness

AN: The first fanfic that I've decided to create and actually move on with for chapters. Don't worry, this is an intro chapter for the story and characters and also an introduction to the type of style I write in, so expect more seriousness in later chapters (aka next chapter). Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own ANYTHING from the Kingdom Hearts series. Kingdom Hearts is owned by Disney, Square Enix, and Tetsuya Nomura.

* * *

**_CHAPTER I - Seriousness..._**

Exactly four years ago on a warm Spring day, a very imaginative and easily confused boy came running down the halls, happy and full of enthusiasm but a tiny bit nervous, pushed others out of the way and stomped over all of the kids in his grade just to get to see the wondrousness of a magician's magic. The boy asked the magician, 'Please show me a magic trick!'. Well, he got a kick to the ass. 500 times. And everybody in at least an 8-foot distance to the event saw it and laughed.

Now, lets replace the character 'boy' with me, the magician with my crush, and 'Please show me a magic trick!' with 'Please make me a sandwich!'. That was what happened to me, and it resulted in pure pain for about one to two weeks: physical pain and emotional pain. I really meant to say 'Please become my girlfriend!', but that wasn't how it turned out. I had my heart and my butt broken, and I really regret ever confessing, apparently, my... uh, want for her to make me a sandwich.

Sadly, though, I have found someone new...

Her name is Kairi Colbourn. She's in class A-2 and is extremely popular with everyone. We're pretty good friends, although we're not really talking that much with each other. She's come up to me to have a chat a few times, so I feel like we're progressing a little. It made me really happy, to be honest.

Great. I feel like I'm talking like an idiot now. And I haven't been paying attention in class at all.

Sitting at my desk, I rest my head on the cold, flat surface. I yawn and look out the window. God, I'm so tired. I can't believe I actually stayed up until 2 AM playing Black Ops II with Axel before getting brutally chewed out by my Mom. Heck, I'm starting to hate that game to death already.

"Hey, Riku." A voice whispers to me.

I recognize that voice as my best friend, Axel Iver. He's a fiery red-head, alright, and when he says we're going to party all night, damn right we're going to party all night, and with that party is only 5 hours of sleep left on a school day. He's always got a girl over at his house whenever I visit, along with another 500 girls on his phone's contacts list. I don't hate how he's full of energy, but he's certainly got me wanting to avoid it, and that's because of all the Block Ops II all-nighters we've had. Yeah, no chance those will be happening again.

I respond to him groggily and lazily, "What?"

Axel pushes his desk closer to mine. I look up and I'm greeted by a cheesy smile, along with a giggle of sorts that unsettles my stomach. Please, no. Not another party.

He whispers into my ear, "We should, heheh... You know. That thing. Where I invite you over and I call up some hot chicks that can hang out with us." Axel chuckles a bit as he sits back in his chair, probably imagining himself and a chick getting it... well, I can explain that later.

"Nopes." I quickly say.

Axel's face is just saying, 'Aww, why not? Can't you just have a bit of fun once in a while?'.

"Aww, why not?" He tugs on my shirt's collar pleadingly, giving me the puppy dog eyes he's so good at doing. "Can't you just have a bit of fun once in a while?"

I sigh. "I just don't want to hang out with girls. I know - you're probably thinking that I'm a real freak not wanting to hang out with girls, but I was kind of... traumatized? by the last time I went up to a girl I liked."

"…" He thinks. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh." Facepalming, he laughs. "You shouldn't have to hold yourself back from fun just because of that! That whole thing happened four years ago! You two aren't even in the same school anymore, kid!"

Giving Axel a cold stare, I force my attention back at the lesson. _No way am I going to a party like that. Besides, you probably have her on your contacts list. You could call her up just to troll me if you wanted to. Damn it, Axel. Why do you have everything in the world that you could possibly use to send me into depression?_

"It isn't as easy as you think it is. Having a crush on someone and not being able to say it is just a pain in the butt," I shut my eyes. "I just wish to get out of class now. Then, I can finally get something to drink and relax."

Axel giggles. "Who's the special girl, Riku?"

"Huh? You want to know who it is?" I lift my head up off the desk and whisper into Axel's ear. "It's 'None of Your Business'."

Axel smiles, "Oh, what a nice na-" He stops abruptly. "That isn't a name, is it?"

I sigh. "No, it isn't."

He laughs it off. "W-Well, that's great. Hope you have a good time trying to propose to her! She'll be a tough one to handle! Eheh..."

_Oh_, Axel.

* * *

Before I knew it, class already ended. Students from all classes flooded the hallways, looking as if there were no space left that someone could be suffocated inside the crowd, gasping for the breath that they could never receive even if they tried. Literally. Well, at least it's the end of the day.

Axel forced his arm around my neck. "Heheyheyhey! Riku, let's go! TO THE PAAAARTY HOUSE!" He points out the door and runs, taking me with him.

"Wh-What are you doing?! I thought I told you I didn't want to go!"

Axel chuckles, "I want to relieve you of your stress and anxiety, and I guess it will help if you get used to the situation."

"No way! I'm not-"

Someone, or something, taps on my left shoulder.

"Uh- Hi, Riku."

A soft, lovely voice calls out my name from behind me. Axel stops pulling me away and allows me to take charge. It was Kairi Colbourn, my crush and the person that almost every guy in my grade likes. Okay, um... I need to come up with something to say. Aha! Maybe 'Hi, Kairi. So, you wanna hang out tonight? Axel and I are going to host a party. What do you say?' Yeah, that will work! I'll be serious about this!

"Hey, Kairi," I say boringly. "How are you doing?"

Wow. I come up with something to say but nothing productive ever comes out of my mouth! Gosh, Riku, you're such a conversation killer! Think think think think THINK! Think better this time! You need. To. Impress her!

Kairi smiles gently. "I'm fine," She stares right into my eyes, her blue eyes glistening in the holy light that falls and shines upon her angelic presence, spirit, and the peacefulness of her nature. "Well, I wanted to ask you something... Ah- Did you want to go to the dance with me next Saturday?"

Wait, what? A dance next Saturday? I didn't know that there was a dance next Saturday. I should probably ask her when it will start, what's the theme, what I should wear, what will be happening, who else is going, is the food free... Okay, ready to ask.

"Sure."

**DAMN IT!**

"Okay!" She smiles happily and giggles. Kairi turns around and walks away as she waves good-bye to me. "See you later, Riku! I can't wait for next Saturday!"

I wave back at her and laugh nervously. "Uhuh, yeah! See~ you later." Once she disappeared into the crowd of people, I smash my head with full force against someone's locker (sorry, locker...) over and over and over again until I decide to rethink my life and future plans. "Hate me! Hate me, Axel! Be ashamed of my stupidity and idiocy! I didn't think things through enough. I didn't say the right words and I accepted her request when I didn't clearly decide. I'msostupid." Panicking, I hold him by his shirt's collar.

"Chill out, kid! This is normal stuff, it's a regular cycle for teens and adults that are extremely nervous and over conscious. She likes you, so she asked, you accepted, she was happy, now you're confused and you're self-loathing because you said the wrong words - everything is good and perfectly normal! Don't worry about it so much." Brushing it off, Axel pushes me away lightly and chuckles like every single thing that just happened was a big joke.

Seething In anger, I turn back to face the newly-dented locker that I smashed my head against. I sigh deeply and calm myself down. I can impress her, I know I can. All I need to do is go to the dance and confess to her...

I need to tell Axel, though. This is a secret, and we shouldn't really keep things from each other, and I know that I can trust him to help me when I need help. Plus, he's pretty skilled when it comes to getting girls. So, here I go.

Looking down, I say, quietly, "Axel, I have something to confess."

Axel turns to look at me, and I see a curious expression on his face. "What is it, bud?"

"It's-" I sigh. This is kind of awkward. "DON'T laugh at me, but I... I-"

"Spit it out, I won't laugh or anything. I know that this is your first time liking someone."

"Shut u- uhhp?" I stop and I stare at him in a bit of surprise. "How did you know I was going to say something along those lines?"

"Hm?" Axel turns back to look at me. Blinking a few times, he chuckles. "Actually, I was just guessing. Never would've thought that was what you were actually going to tell me. I'm always in for surprises, secrets, anything! Don't worry, Riku. I wouldn't tell anybody your secrets."

I turn my head away. This... This _was _embarrassing. Axel could easily tell other people. I mean, he could slip up and tell the chick he's sitting on his couch with by accident, and then I find out the next day that EVERYBODY KNOWS IT! Why can't I think things through today? Why, why, WHY?

"Then I'll tell you... But as long as you absolutely can promise not to tell anyone. That includes your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, great-great-great-grandparents, siblings, cousins, friends, hot chicks that go to your house, the people at this school, those damn jocks that smell like my neighbor's cat, and DEFINITELY not Kairi, got that?" I demand him.

Axel chuckles and smiles. "Trust me."

I drag him out of the hallway and into a classroom. I slam the door shut and lock it. I also pull down the shades to cover the window on the door so nobody can see us.

The sun was setting upon the city. An orange tint to the sky was left, along with clouds moving across it. Rays of light shined in through the huge glass window of our classroom. There was a silence for half a minute before I started talking.

"Okay," I sigh out of nervousness. Preparing myself for the consequences, I state, "I like her."

I sigh again. I hate myself _so_ much.

He scratches his head in confusion. "Liiiike who?" Axel asks curiously. Two seconds later: "Oh! I gotcha."

Axel slowly started smiling. "Well, then you're lucky that you got asked! Maybe she likes you, too!" He unlocks the door and opens it. Axel turns around to face me, slightly. He gives me a... a frown? "Remember, though: be careful in the future, Riku. You'll never know what you'll have to face, whether it be a gentle flower or an explosive." He walks out nonchalantly, just walking slow and casually humming all the while.

"Why?" I call out to Axel before he gets too far away. What does Axel mean? Be careful in the future? Metaphors that are probably very meaningful in my life? Could he possibly be hinting at what will happen if I get too close to Kairi? Will something dangerous happen tomorrow, next week, or another month?

All of the students have already walked home. We were the last ones to leave this time. It seems kind of lonely, but a very calming and relaxing feeling for the empty school. I've never thought that being inside the school building could ever calm me down this much.

Walking out the door, I remember, "Hey, Axel. What about that party?"

Axel stops, turns around and says, "Oh, right! Let's go, Riku!" He puts his arm around my neck and drags me out of the school building and we walk out the school gates, turning a left to go down the road to Axel's house.

* * *

AN: End of first chapter, second chapter will be up soon. I feel confident for this story. More things will happen next chapter! Reviews, any help and what I should fix on grammar, and constructive criticism, please! They help the writers grow stronger and healthier!

...At writing, of course.


	2. Chapter II - Ominous

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own ANYTHING from the Kingdom Hearts series. Kingdom Hearts is owned by Disney, Square Enix, and Tetsuya Nomura.

* * *

_**CHAPTER II - Ominous**_

Ugh... What the hell is... going on? My vision is blurry, and my mind can't exactly process things at the moment. Feeling groggy as heck, I find myself staring up at the ceiling, not thinking at all. My stomach feels terrible. God... Where's the anti-acid tablets? Seriously, I can't believe I have to walk all the way to the kitchen to find some. I slowly turn my head to look at the clock, but there isn't anything, just wooden flooring.

Wait, why is my bed so cold? And hard?

I lift myself up and rub my eyes. Looking around, I notice that this isn't my bedroom. Where the hell am I?

Soon, I come to the conclusion that I'm lying down on the floor of Xigbar's house, with Axel knocked out on the ground next to me.

...

"Daaamn, IIIIIT!"

Quickly putting my shoes on at the front door, I notice that my shirt has stains all over it. Drink stains, cake stains, where the hell did all of this come from?! Growling, I put my hoodie on and just rush out the door and run to my house.

_Damn it! I'll be late for class! Damn it damn it damn it damn it! Need to change into proper clothing, get my stuff, and get to school!_ Running down the sidewalk of the city, I pass through multiple crowds of people, constantly keeping tack of time. Eventually, I get to my house, completely exhausted and hyperventilating by the time I opened the door and walked into my house.

I walk up the stairs, enter my room, take off my clothes and change into a white t-shirt, jeans, and a black zip-up hoodie. Walking into my kitchen, I pour myself some orange juice into a glass, take some bread and make it into a sandwich, get my backpack, put on my shoes, run outside, shut my door, life saved. I'm about two hours late now, and running out of town.

As I ran down the sidewalk, I realized that the school building is about 40 miles away from my house. "You know what? Screw this. I'm not going to school today." Sighing, I walk back to my house.

Opening the door, I slip off my shoes, and walk into the living room. I plop onto the couch and curl up, getting comfortable. I shut my eyes and let myself fall asleep.

* * *

_Don't leave..._

"Why?"

_Don't leave the city!_

_Don't leave... Please..._

_They'll find you soon._

'What are you talking about? Who will find me soon?"

_Them._

A few figures appear in dark coats behind the person talking to me. The person turns around to see. Gasping, it runs towards me.

_Save us! Save your friends!_

"What's happening? An act played by Axel? Oh, please don't tell me that he found out I left him there! I shouldn't deserve to die for this!"

_Good-bye... See you in the first dimension!_

The person jumps at me, gently puts their arms around my neck, and kisses me tenderly on my cheek. A warm feeling covers my face as people probably part of a secret organization are running after us to kill us.

Two seconds later...

"DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!"

* * *

Opening my eyes, I stare blankly at the wall. For a few minutes I just sit there, not thinking. Soon, I look over to the analog clock sitting on the coffee table in front of me. 10:27 AM. My hands feel cold. I pull my sleeves forward until they cover both of my hands. _I hope the person that kissed me in my dream was Kairi..._

I take the TV remote sitting on the coffee table in front of me and turn on the TV. Surfing through the channels, I find nothing interesting to be on at the moment. Sigh.

I guess I'll turn on the news. I need to catch up on the events happening these days anyway. Changing it to Channel 8, I yawn. Still tired? I guess I've got to get more sleep, then.

Sitting down, I start to fall asleep to the news. I wish I didn't have last night's hangover.

"… a torn up body found by the dumpsters at the Destiny Apartments' apartment complex. The face is entirely torn off and the skin on the arms and legs scratched off until you can see the bone. The cuts in the flesh read 'FOUND ME'..."

Listening subconsciously, my stomach starts feeling queasy. What the frick is going on? That's by Axel's place. Looking at the TV, pictures of the body appear on screen. I could see the eyes ripped out of their sockets, the dried blood on the body and ground, and the torn up, dirty skin that the naked body has all over.

I quickly shut off the TV. I bet that Axel still hasn't gone home yet. I better tell him the story first before letting him get there.

Dialing his number, I hear knocking on the door. My heart begins to beat harder and faster. Slowly, I put the cellphone down onto the coffee table and walk over to open the door.

Two men, both in black suits and short haircuts, stand at my door. They have badges on their suits, certifying that they are FBI agents. "Hello, may we ask you a few questions?" The brown-haired man asks me.

"Yes." I tense up a little bit.

He takes out a notepad. "We've seen you visit the Destiny Apartments a few times. What are your reasons for being there?"

"One of my best friend's live there."

"Name? Room, floor?"

"Axel Iver. Room 303, 3rd Floor."

The man jots down the information quickly with his black, ballpoint pen. The blonde man next to him silently observes my house from where he's standing.

"No need to feel uncomfortable. We're asking visitors that have been at the Destiny Apartments in the last five months a few questions for the crime scene." He keeps jotting down notes. "What's your name?"

I look at the notepad. "Riku Schuyler."

After writing down my name, he closes the notepad and sticks both it and the pen in his shirt's front pocket. "That will be all." Waving good-bye, they leave down the sidewalk and start up their car. They drive off down the road.

God damn. I feel so relieved. At least I know that they weren't actually serial killers in disguise. I walk back into the living room and sigh. Picking the phone back up, I call Axel.

[Heyheyhey, Riku!] Axel shouts into the phone.

I shrug, not caring about his stupidity. "Are you home yet?"

[Nah, still at Xigbar's. We've been playing games all morning.]

"I need to tell you something before you get home."

[How about you come over and enjoy the game first?]

"I- I have no time for that! This is-"

[Okay, I'll wait for ya here. Ciao!]

Axel hangs up. I growl. I quickly run to the door and put my shoes on again. Holding two pieces of bread in my mouth, I open the door and rush over to Xigbar's apartment.

* * *

Slamming the door open, I'm greeted by the surprised faces of Axel, Xaldin, and Xigbar. Panting, I walk in. "Excuse me," I breathe in and out. "I need to talk to Axel for a moment."

Xigbar crosses his arms. A few seconds later, he grins. "What happened, pretty boy~?" Xigbar teases.

"An incident. Also," I shift my gaze to Axel. As I glare at him, he gulps. "Hm? Axel, what did you say about the length of the party last night? And that we'd be back in time for school? And that we weren't going to get a hang over? And- oh, yeah, what about the whole 'I'm gonna drive you home after this' thing?" I raise an eyebrow.

He smiles and scratches his head. "Well, eheh, sorry."

I stomp over to him and grab him by his shirt's collar, pulling him closer to me.

"Excuse me? I ran _15 miles_ to my house, and all you can say is, 'Well, eheh, sorry.'? THAT'S IT?" I angrily shout at him. I sigh loudly, calming my anger. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad or anything. After all, I can only blame myself for going to the party."

Letting go, he stumbles and falls onto the ground. I look down at him. Still smiling, he says, "Well, at least you're okay, right? No scratches, bruises, broken arms, butt doesn't hurt, no hickeys - everything is _still_ okay. Now LET'S GET BACK TO THE PARTY!" He gets into Xigbar's spinny chair and swirls around in it, laughing like a crazy maniac.

Facepalm. I can just feel in my head that my brain cells are disintegrating every moment I sit here watching him. He's such a lovable idiot.

"I should probably get that desert ready," Xaldin says, "Larxene will be coming over soon. She doesn't like it when she can't come home to a nice, fresh batch of chocolate-coconut brownies."

Axel's jaw drops. "Wait, Larxene comes here after her job? That means... SHE LIVES WITH YOU XIGBAR?" Highly confused and a tad bit annoyed, he lets his head drop. What's with his interest in Larxene anyway? Family member? Friend? Crush? Damn, it would be a disaster if that's the case. I wouldn't want to hear that Kairi lives with anybody that isn't related to her, either.

Xigbar laughs. "Oh, poor, poor Axel. Afraid you were losing your Larxy-Warxy? It's okay, she's just a friend of mine. Besides, I'm not interested in that bitchy beast, anyway." He jokingly pats him on the head.

Axel grumbles angrily. He's probably taking offense that Xigbar just called her a bitchy beast.

Walking into the kitchen, I see Xaldin already pouring the brownie mix into the glass baking pan. After spreading it out gently with a spatula, he sprinkles some coconut flakes onto the surface of it. Xaldin looks very serious and focused on this, though his eyes are a bit wide open.

"So, what's with the look? Afraid, or something?"

He stops for a moment. Shaking, he looks over to me. "Larxene came home expecting someone to make the brownies. Since I was the one sitting at the kitchen table, she almost beat me to death. I'm never letting that happen ever again. Ever..." Now staring down at the brownie mix, he finishes sprinkling the coconut flakes and puts it in the oven.

"Guess~ who's~ HOME!"

Xaldin drops the oven mitts onto the ground. He stands still as a statue, frozen in time. Slowly, he turns his head over to the exit of the kitchen. Trembling, he grabs my shoulders. Xaldin's sweating and shaking furiously.

He whispers, close to my face, panicking, "Hide me! You've _got_ to hide me somewhere!"

I can hear tapping on the floor behind me. Turning around, Xaldin and I are met by the face of the demons that eat little kittens for breakfast: Larxene. Xaldin shrieks, grabbing me and pulling me out of the kitchen.

She yells, "Xal~din~! You come back here and get these brownies DONE!"

Xigbar stops us at the doorway, hands on his sides and giving us a pathetic face, mocking Xaldin's expression. He laughs. "Well, you can't win them all, can ya?" Chuckling, he forces us back into the kitchen with a push. Xigbar slams the door shut and locks it from the outside.

Larxene pries Xaldin off of me and drags him over to the oven. "_Why_ aren't my brownies done?"

"Uh- ah- W-well, th-that's just... uh- private information... yeah! Private information..."

Private information? Hm... That reminds me.

Blasting through the door, I knock over Xigbar who was now lying on the ground, face and stomach flat on the carpet. That's the price you pay for blocking a door.

I walk up to Axel. "Hey, you know how I was going to tell you about some incident right?"

He shrugs. "Sure. Go ahead and tell me what it is."

I turn my head to see if anybody else was listening. Afterwards, I turn back to look at him. "Do you know about the murder incident by your apartment complex?"

Axel's eyes widen. He shifts his gaze down to the ground. "No... Wh-what's happening?" Axel asks quietly, fear stricken.

I can tell that he's a bit uneasy. His legs and arms are slightly shaking, and his eyes looking all over the place. "The police have found a brutally murdered person by the dumpsters at the Destiny Apartments' complex. There's been evidence of the victim being a woman. Supposedly, she was unclothed, her eyes were ripped out, there were lots of cuts and tears on the skin, and the cuts were made into a message."

Axel looks at me with a scared expression on his face. It wasn't exactly a scared expression, though. It was more like an expression that gave off the feelings of worry and fright together. He stands up and walks towards the door. Opening it, he slowly walks into the kitchen. I follow him through.

The screaming of Larxene and the panicking Xaldin sound throughout the kitchen, and the knocked-out Xigbar lying on the floor mumbles a few words. Axel, however, walks right by the door like he never noticed any of them at all, like they weren't even there. He slips his loafers on and exits out the kitchen door, walking onto Xigbar's lawn.

"Axel!" I shout out the door to him. "Where are you going?"

… No response. He just kept walking on, probably back to his apartment. I think, then put on my shoes and run after him.

* * *

Eventually catching up to Axel, I walk behind him steadily. He's still shaking a little bit. I ask him, "Are you going back to your apartment?"

He nods. We were close to getting to the Destiny Apartments building. Axel walked slowly and cautiously, looking back at me a few times, and then stopping to walk next to me.

It's getting pretty dark. The sun's already started fading away beyond the ocean. Stars are appearing in the dark sky, a beautiful sight that I should probably go out to see more often. We should be getting to his room soon, as I notice more apartment complexes around, looking for an unusually tall one.

He finally speaks up. "Hey, Riku. How about... Another party?"

I glare at him. "No."

"Aw. Why not? Our party tonight won't be as bad as last night. I'm inviting less people this time."

I think hard for a moment. "Are you absolutely sure that it won't be as bad?" I question him, raising an eyebrow.

He smiles and nods. "Of course! I only invited a couple of people, so it won't be as bad for you." Axel chuckles and nudges me in the side with his elbow.

_I have my doubts about this, and... Oh, whatever. I guess I can handle another party._

As we walked, I noticed something strange from Axel. It felt like he changed moods so quickly. One moment he felt scared, and now he feels more comfortable? Well, he's good at adapting to situations quickly, so I guess that it's normal for him. I probably haven't realized it because he's pretty much always in a happy mood.

"Hey, Riku," Axel starts to say. "Thanks for being my friend."

With a confused face, I look up at him. "Where did that come from?"

He chuckles. "I'm just glad to have a friend as trustable and responsible as you."

I smile. I want to say_ Axel, you're the most dorkiest but most fun best friend in the world that I have right now, and I can't help but appreciate that,_ but we got to the Destiny Apartments building before I could say anything. It seems that investigation for the crime scene has ended already.

Axel and I walk into the building and enter the main lobby. Both of us go up the elevator to his room.

There's something bothering me, though. I can't shake off the feeling of being watched by someone - not by Axel, but by some other force or figure possibly standing in the crowds of the hundreds of strangers here. I don't feel as comfortable as usual anymore.

It's an ominous presence.

* * *

AN: Second chappie! Stuff happening, but other things will come at their own paces... Of course, the story is still only at the beginning of things. Reivew, please!


	3. Chapter III - A Party, Of Some Sort

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own ANYTHING from the Kingdom Hearts series. Kingdom Hearts is owned by Disney, Square Enix, and Tetsuya Nomura.

* * *

**_CHAPTER III - A Party, Of Some Sort..._**

"And, we're here!" Axel shouts in glee. "Come on in! I'll call up the people, you just sit down and relax." Axel takes his cellphone out of his pocket and starts sending voice messages to all of them.

I walk in, take off my shoes, and make myself comfortable on one of the couches. I can hear him talking into the phone outside the door. A few seconds later, Axel walks in and plops onto the couch across from me.

"Hey," I ask curiously. "Why are we having a party tonight? Is there some special occasion happening?"

Axel looks over to me. He grins. "I promised someone this. They wanted to see you."

Instead of asking who it was, I ponder the identity of this person. Is it a girl, or a guy? Maybe one of Axel's friends? Stuck on that matter, I try to change my interest to a different subject.

I lazily shift my eyes, looking around the place. There's a different set up to his apartment room since I was last here. The couches have been moved around in a different fashion, the walls are now a lime green instead of the plain whiteness they've always had. Extra pictures have been hung on the walls, all seeming to be pictures of his family. The dirty clothing and papers he'd leave all over the floor aren't laying around anymore, and numerous air fresheners are plugged into outlets on the walls.

"I see that you've renovated and cleaned the rooms," Curiously, I turn my focus to the kitchen. There's a pot with something boiling in it on the stove. It smells kind of good, a change to Axel's toxic-smelling disasters that he used to make. "It seems that you have also gotten better making things look and smell good."

Axel, now reading a healthy living magazine, says, "Yeah, I've trained myself to do all sorts of things in the past few months. I thought that I should try to get better at taking care of myself and the people that come here. My brother was complaining that the apartment was a bit too dirty, so I wanted to make it more breathable and livable inside this place. It's a nice change, isn't it?"

I respond, not caring too much, "Yeah, it is."

A slight grin appears on Axel's face. It makes me wonder what he's thinking of.

"What's with the grin?"

Axel doesn't respond for a second or two. "Hm? Oh, it's nothing. It's about the plans I've got for tonight."

"What exactly are you planning?" I ask him, concerned about what will be in store for me at this party we're having.

Axel chuckles. He doesn't respond to me, though, probably interested in an article he's found in the magazine. He has a lot of them on the nightstand next to him, about six or seven others. All of them are about home décor, fitness, health... This _is_ a huge change.

* * *

Half an hour later, I hear light knocking on the front door. Axel notices and puts the magazine down on the seat next to him, walks over and stops at the door, turning his body towards me.

Axel smiles, "You ready, Riku?"

I nod with a frown and widened eyes. _No, you didn't! You didn't invite a stripper, right? Or a prostitute? Please, no, no more of those! I was already scarred for life the last time I saw someone over here with you!_ Getting ready for the consequences, I breathe in and breathe out.

As he opens the door, I see someone with red hair wearing dark, black tights, cream knit boots, and a pink polka-dot sundress worn under a light brown parka coat. The person was holding a huge, brown briefcase. It was... It _was_!

"Kairi?" I say loudly in astonishment, keeping in my urge to punch Axel in the face. "You invited her to the party?" I ask him.

Axel laughs. "You two talk, I'll get the food ready. Have fun!" He happily hops and skips to the kitchen.

Sighing, I sit up. Kairi is now sitting on the couch across from me. She's smiling and humming cheerfully. God, WHY do I have to feel nervous around her? I wish I could just fix this story's set up so I didn't have to feel so weird.

"So, Riku," She starts. Looking right into my eyes, Kairi asks, "What are we doing tonight?"

I look towards Axel, who is stirring something in the pot with a whisk. A little awkwardly, I say, "I don't have a clue. He's kinda... left me in the dark with his plans." As I look back at Kairi, she's put down her briefcase on the floor in front of her and has taken off her jacket and flung it over the arm of the couch. I noticed that she was wearing a turquoise butterfly hair clip by her bangs. It looks nice in her hair.

"Where are all of the people?" She asks as she runs her hands through her hair.

I noticed that no one else has came. Did he only call Kairi? "Uh, I'm not sure. I think he only called you."

Kairi shrugs her shoulders. She looks around the room, examining the attributes of the room. What exactly are we supposed to be doing at this party? Waiting around for things to happen?

"What's up with the brief case?" I ask Kairi curiously.

Kairi blushes. "I-It's nothing much. I'm going to be visiting my grandmother Sunday. My friend is driving me to their house tomorrow, and their place is far from here, so I won't be back until Tuesday."

"Oh. I see." I look down at the brief case. It looks like it's packed tightly. A piece of clothing, probably a shirt sleeve, is slightly sticking out of one of the sides.

Kairi happily hums a song in the meantime, the one that plays whenever Axel starts up_ Katawa Shoujo_ on his computer._ She seems to be enjoying herself, even though the party hasn't even started. _

"You know," Kairi looks down at her lap. "I came here because I needed to talk to you about something. There's a request I have."

"What do you need to discuss with me?" I wonder what she wants to talk about. There's not much that I can think of realistically, but if it's something like what I'm thinking...

"Here's my request," Kairi says, nervously.

"What is it?" _Good, God, what is it? I want to know! Is it truly love? Will my chances of losing my virginity increase greatly? How will Kairi show her affections as we're in our relationship?_

She looks deeply into my eyes. _Here it comes!_ "Could you, possibly, help me support the football team's game that is happening next Saturday?"

...

In reality, my jaw would drop because of her answer. I hold back my feelings of disappoint and try to act calm. "Yeah, I guess I can."

Kairi sighs in relief and happily smiles at me. "Thank you so much! Will 5 o'clock after school on Thursday work for you? We'll be making banners and brochures that day."

"Yeah. I can make it."

She giggles. "We've only got a few people working on this, anyway, so the more help we get, the faster we'll get it done. That's why I'm thankful that you can work with us."

"No problem."

On the inside, I'm actually kind of glad to help, but kind of disappointed that my dreams aren't reality. An ask to go out with me, only the two of us, would've boosted my happiness during my days of living. Sighing, I look over to Axel, who is wearing oven mitts and holding a ladle as he dances into the room.

"Dinner is ready, guys~!" Axel sings. I roll my eyes. When did he get so giddy with his attitude? Don't tell me you're becoming a girl, Axel! I told you that you needed to stop watching such girly anime!

Kairi calls out, "Okay! You coming, Riku?" She gets up and off of the couch. I feel kind of unsettled - not like an 'awkward' unsettled, but an 'eerie-feeling' unsettled. It wasn't Kairi unsettling me, even though I do feel a bit nervous, it was something else, the same feeling I got while in the lobby. Something feels... wrong.

Brushing it off, I stand up, stretch, and walk over to the kitchen. The food smells great. Three bowls of salad are placed on the table, along with three empty glasses and eating utensils. As Kairi and I sit down in our chairs, Axel sets the pot down on a flower-shaped potholder placed on the center of the table. He takes off the pot lid, and I can smell it clearer. From the looks of it, it's a chicken and vegetable soup.

Axel pulls a large pan out of the oven. On the pan is a marinated chicken. He carefully sets it on the two other pot holders on the left, longer side of the table.

"Eat up, you two!" Axel cheerfully shouts.

Kairi nods and smiles, cutting a thigh off the chicken. After placing it on her plate, she slices a small piece of it, stabs it with her fork, and puts it in her mouth. Slowly chewing it, she swallows it. "Wow, Axel, this is really good! You're pretty talented at cooking."

_She's so kind. And cute. And friendly. Damn it, Riku, WHAT in the world are you thinking right now?! _

Axel laughs. "Oh, it's nothing. Just cooking for a few weeks can improve the quality of how your food tastes, and after a few months you can achieve a pretty high level of talent with what you're working on." As he washes his hands, he hums happily.

I take the ladle sitting in the soup pot. I pour some of the hot soup into my bowl. Sipping some from my spoon, I notice that the broth is a bit thick, but rich in flavor, and the noodles, chicken, and vegetables a bit soft. _It's almost too amazing to comprehend. He's completely changed and gotten better at cooking. _

"This is _so_ much better than last time's dinner." I say, staring in awe at the soup in my bowl.

"Thanks! I'm glad to hear that you guys-"

Axel stops abruptly. Looking at him, his face was still and pale. He was looking out the window in front of the sink, stepping away from it.

I walked over to the window. All that I could see was the darkness outside. There wasn't anything there - just the sidewalk, a few garbage bags sitting in the dark alleyway, and a broken street light that flickered on and off now and then.

Kairi comes next to me and looks outside. The light on the broken street light flickers. Seconds later, she backs up a few steps, then falls down onto the floor, covering her mouth. Her breathing becomes faster and her eyes widen.

She asks, quietly and anxiously, "What... What is that...? Th-Those things are... are...?"

I decide to focus on the garbage bags. Getting a closer look as the light flickers on, I notice something completely disgusting lying by the garbage bags in the alleyway.

In front of the garbage bags were a pile of three dead dogs just lying there. Their bodies were already starting to be eaten away, as some of the bones are showing from the torn skin of the dogs. One dog's skull can already be seen, half his face gone.

"Axel, do you know anything about this?" I stared down at the dogs. I bet that this is related to the crime scene. The police, or anyone for that matter, didn't find this?

He opens his cellphone and dials 911 quickly. Walking into the living room, Axel impatiently mutters to himself with the cellphone up to his ear.

Kairi, slowly getting up, walks, hunched over, to the bathroom door. She doesn't look too good.

I ask, worriedly, "Kairi, are you alright?"

Looking over to me, she changes her slight frown to a smile. "No, I think I'm okay-" I see her cheeks puff up. She covers who mouth with one hand, and scurries into the bathroom. I can hear the sounds of her throwing up into the toilet bowl.

Disturbed, I turn my head away.

After walking into the living room, I open the door and shut it slowly once I'm standing out in the hallway. I get in the elevator, get down to the main lobby (not too long of a trip since we are only one floor above) and walk outside. I walk down the sidewalk and turn the corner into the alleyway below Axel's room. There was slightly dried blood all over the ground left from the cut off limbs by the body, meaning this was here for not too long. I get on one knee to get a better look at the bodies by the garbage bags.

Seeing the dogs up close, there were various holes in their skin around their necks, probably from a very tight collar. There were slimy maggots squirming and crawling all over the bodies, eating away at the dead bodies little by little. I can see them eating and tearing at the skin. The dogs' eyes were pulled out of their sockets, their blood-drenched fur, and their dismembered arms and legs were scattered about on the street, making some type of message.

There were eight limbs cut off of the dogs that were made into letters on the ground. The dismembered arms and legs, in the order they're shown for the letters, read the word, I think was...

'KILL'.

Astonished, I back away. Once I stood up, I took note of a tallish, black figure watching me in the pure, black dark of the night. I knew, that as soon as I saw the three dead dogs, as well as the murder report from yesterday, that this wasn't going to be some cliché high school comedy-romance story anymore.

* * *

AN: A quick update since I worked on both Chapter II and this before posting. What did Riku even expect to happen? A nice, calm party where he'd get a chance with Kairi/have a good time together with his friends? HA. Nonsense. It didn't turn out like that, and it won't happen for a while... [Muahahahahahaha!] Also, genre-placement is concrete and won't be changing anymore (I've changed it three times). Review, please!


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